My Mattingly Collection - 1995 Donruss Diamond Kings #4758/10,000

I've been trying to put forth a little more effort (and a little more hobby fundage) towards my Mattingly collection lately.   It's a lot easier for me to chase and seek out newer cards for my modern day player PC's (Kimbrel, Freeman, Robertson and Rizzo).   Their cards fall into my current collecting period and deal in terms, brands and sets that I can understand.

Mattingly cards that I require for my collection (which yes, include any and all Mattingly cards.....ever!) do include modern release issues, but a lot of these are highly priced autographs, relic cards and parallels.   The bulk of missing Mattingly cards, for me, completely span the 15+ year Hobby Ice Age that I unknowingly suffered through from about 1993 until 2011.   A quick glance through a Beckett for these years is enough to make my head spin.   There were so many brands and sets and inserts and....God only know what else produced during these years that included Donnie Baseball!   I know that I will never conquer them all, but I aim to make a pretty good dent whenever I can.

Just such an opportunity came up for me when I was able to snag this '95 Diamond King for less than $5.   Coming during the preface of my Hobby Ice Age, the Diamond King insert is definitely something I am familiar with.   DK's were a frequent pull for us back in the day and, unfortunately, reached a saturation point where they elicited minimal excitement from us whipper-snappers.

It looks like Donruss stepped up their DK game after I checked out:   

A basic design for an incredible rendering of The Hit Man from Mr. Perez. I love this card and it even appears to be in pretty good shape.  I'm not quite so sure how production quality rated back in '95, but the centering on a card like this is key due to the very discernible (and comparable) borders.   Fortunately, it looks like we're good to go with these golden beauties - looking good, Donnie!

Here's the back:

AH!   It's even numbered!   The extremely high production for this "limited edition" card gives me a little chuckle when compared to modern day serialized statistics - I'm sure it does for most of you, too.   That being said, it does add a little dose of 'special' to an already impressive card.   I'm glad they added another nice color shot of Mattingly on the back in those wonderful home pinstripes.

The write-up on this DK is superb.   While Mattingly's career highlights are easily summed up in '84, '85 and '95 for sportswriters, I feel like Donruss pays some wonderfully balanced homage to Mattingly's value as a Yankee and one of the game's best for more than a decade.   Every time I read about his ill-fated postseason debut in '95, I can still feel the bitter-sweet joy of childhood dreams born and destroyed within a matter of months....to be followed by huge "what-if's" the following October.

But for now, I digress.   What a great card to add to my Mattingly Collection!   I hope to be adding more as often as possible.

Thanks for reading and keep collecting!

Ryan

The Quest for '60: #499 Johnny James

It's been a great couple of weeks for my quest to complete the 1960 Topps set.   I had some very generous additions from reader Mr. Haverkamp (thank you, sir) and I was also able to pick up this card of Mr. James - a Yankee (applause!) and man of two first names.

This card is in really great shape!   The colors are nice and bright, the surface is clean and the corners are sharp for a '60.   More and more, I fall in love with this set every time I have the chance to enjoy a new addition.   I know.   It's weird.

Mr. James' time in the majors was fairly short   He initially came up for a cup of coffee on September 6, 1958, after spending four years in the farm system.   On that day, he came on in relief of Art Ditmar, who had served up seven runs in six innings to the Washington Senators.   Taking the reigns with gusto, Mr. James held the senators scoreless over the final three frames.

Johnny would miss out on breaking camp with the club in the spring of '59 but he fought his way onto the roster in Florida a year later and had some success with the Yanks in 1960.   During that season he appeared 28 times in relief, going 5-1 with two saves and striking out 29.

In 1961, Johnny was sent to California in the trade that brought Bob Cerv to the Bronx.   His career would end when that season wrapped up for the Halo's, but he did participate in the historic home run season of his former teammate, Roger Maris.   On June 11th, in the bottom of the 7th inning, Maris (who had already taken Eli Grba deep in the 3rd for HR #19) crushed a solo shot off of James into the right field bleachers for his 20th long ball of that historic season.

Johnny James ended his career with a 5-3 record and 73 strikeouts.

Here's the back of card #499:

I always love the backs of these vintage cards and this one is no exception.   Of note to me is the use of the term "reliefers" as opposed to "relievers".   This is the first time I've noticed that but I'll assume it was common practice back then?   I'll surely keep my eyes open for that nomenclature going forward....also, you'll notice the Topps write-up refers to the Yankees as the "New Yorkers".   Again, I'm certain my eyes have glazed past this reference before, but this is the first time I've noticed.   Very cool.

I also find it interesting that Topps was able to successfully project that Johnny would make the club in 1960 after spending the 1959 campaign back in the minors.   This card is #499 - would it have been produced early on in the season?   Could they have had a head's up if this card was released in a later series?   Inquiring nerds want to know.....

The cartoon highlights Mr. James' participation in a no-hitter against the Phillies during spring training ......which is also noted in Johnny's wikipedia write-up.......in which wikipedia notes this co-op no-no as being a prime reason for Mr. James breaking camp with the parent club.

HEY!   So, it looks like Topps did indeed have a pretty good idea that Johnny "stands a fine chance" to be on the roster at some point that season!   Those rascals at Topps, I tell you what!

Ah!   Just a common from an old baseball card set - but look where it's taken us!   A post that includes two guys named Grba and Cerv, along with some impromptu cardboard appreciation research for your enjoyment today.   I love this hobby.

Thanks for reading!
  

My First Zoilo!

In this Year of the Puig and season of distress for Yankee Nation, any bright spots for hope have been a much welcome occurrence.

Don't get me wrong, the Yanks are truly holding their own in what I consider to be the toughest division in baseball.   Considering the onslaught of injuries, slow recoveries and even setbacks for a majority of the traditional offensive producers - we're doing alright.

But it's still great to see a youngster come up through the system, report for duty and provide some excitement!   That's what Zoilo Almonte has done for the Bombers and I hope he gets a chance to continue as long as possible!

I was able to obtain my first card of Zoilo, this 2010 Topps minor league card.   Almonte is featured playing for the Yanks' Class A affiliate, the Charleston RiverDogs.   A team I desperately need to take a drive and go see!

The light is kind of poor to make out the foil print, but overall it's a really sharp, colorful card.   As you can see, Zoilo is a lefty, which will undoubtedly come in handy from time to time as long as he manages to see at-bats in Yankee Stadium.   The design is right in line with that used for the big league release but it's always a lot of fun to enjoy the minor league mascot logo's.   From my time in various places across the country, I've always found them to be a lot of fun and pretty imaginative.
Since being called up, Zoilo is batting .342 with a respectable .881 OPS.   He's only gone deep once but has scored four times and shown tremendous patience at the plate ( 2:1 K:BB) with a flair for clutch hitting, netting him 7 runs batted in.   As an extra bonus, he's also swiped 3 bags!

Here's the back of the card:

The offensive boost he's provided has been fantastic for our box scores but the intangible contribution of youthful excitement on a team of aging veterans and injury "fill-in's" has been a breath of fresh air.   I wonder if he'll be included in the Update Series from Topps?

Welcome to the Show, Zoilo and welcome to the Ryan's Pitch Yankees collection!

Thanks for reading.

My Robertson Collection: 2013 Topps #230 Emerald Parallel

At first, I was annoyed with all of the colored parallels stuffed into today's baseball card packs.   As a base set builder, these parallels merely existed as a wasted card roadblock on my journey towards trying to complete a set.....

Alas, if you can't beat them - JOIN THEM.   And that's what I've decided to do - embrace the rainbow!

Skittles?  
Alas, the parallels make excellent trade bait for my team and player collector trading friends out there.......hey, what do you know - I have a few of those myself!   And here's one of them:

UGH!   Awful photo job there, Ryan.   Let's head to the stock photo pool.....

There we go!

I like this card.   Green doesn't exactly scream YANKEE to me, but it's sharp looking and provides a different design to enjoy and something special to track down.   I'm always up for trading for parallels of my favorite players or teams. 

David is quietly enjoying another solid season for the Yanks as the set-up man for Mo's final tour.   He's 4-1 with 14 holds and 36 K's in 27 2/3 IP.   That's pretty stellar, even though his ERA is a career high 2.93.   I haven't had as many opportunities to watch Robertson toss this year as I would like - hopefully I can watch him strike out the side tonight against the Dodgers!

Did you know Bubba Watson will be throwing out the first pitch?   Heck yes!   Two of my favorites in sports (Yankees and Bubba) collide.....hopefully MLBtv coverage will capture the pre-game moment so that I can catch it live.

Here's the back of the card:

Did anyone ever get a good answer on the fuzzy math Topps used in the "Career Chase" factoids on the backs of these cards?

Just a note - a key statement regarding the evolution of how I collect resides above.   A very brief, innocent mention, but I can't help but feel a little sad that set-building has become such a challenge.   However - as we all know, there's no crying in baseball [card collecting]!

Time to pick myself up, dust myself off and embrace my new world.   Team Collecting and Player Collections.....nothing wrong with that.   But don't think I'm giving up on my vintage set building efforts!

Just wanted to mention it.

Go Yankees and thanks for reading!

My Yankee Collection - 2012 Topps Gypsy Queen "Sliding Stars" Derek Jeter

I really miss our Captain and hope he can return to action soon.  

My worst fear is that he may encounter further difficulty and decide to hang up his spikes.....but I am optimistic that Jeter will make it back to give us a few more memories.

For now, I can certainly enjoy my Jeter cards and this is one of the more unique examples.   Sure, I've got plenty of Gypsy Queen (particularly from last year) but this is a Sliding Stars insert - my favorite GQ insert set from last year and a clear second place behind this year's Collisions at the Plate set.

This is how I look when I change a diaper 

The intrigue goes on, as this version of the card is a miniature version.   It was a nice pull from the special hobby box topper of mini cards found within each box.   Did Topps do the same thing this year?   It was a nice boost to my boxes, when a boost was SERIOUSLY needed.

Here's a picture of the box topper mini....box:

Exclusive! And yes, I kept the boxes..

Gimmicky, yes.....but when you throw down for a hobby box of anything, you're entitled to some bells and whistles, in my opinion.   You also deserve some solid progress towards a complete set.....and GQ did deliver there.   Back to Jeter.

Here's a look at the back:

I really like the design and layout of the GQ backs. Seriously.

Isn't that 3rd base he's sliding into, based on the front photo?   I'm pretty sure it is, judging by the marking on the OF wall.......the write-up of the specific stolen base story (I love it when cards pertain to a specific event!) refers to Derek stealing second base.

Oh well.   Still a sweet card for my Yankees collection!

Thanks for reading!

 

My Yankee Collection - 1948 Bowman #14 Allie Reynolds Rookie Card

Here is a look at one of my favorite cards from my Yankee collection - Allie Reynolds' "Rookie" card from the 1948 Bowman set:

Vintage-y Goodness, served up Bronx Style!

The 1948 Bowman set was very limited, at only 48 cards.   This Reynolds card is #14 from the set.   This card is noted as Reynolds' rookie card because the '48 Bowman release was the first major release after the end of World War II.   Therefore, the majority of cards in the set are noted as players' first cards, even though many had played for years - like Reynolds, who came up with the Indians in 1942.   The card's dimensions are 21/16" by 21/2" and the entire set is in black & white.   I managed to find this card in great condition at an unbelievable price!   At 64 years old, this Reynolds is completely crease-free and has some great edges with sharp corners.   As was common for many cards back then,it suffered from a slightly uneven cut but the card really doesn't suffer in its appearance.   Would I care anyways? :)   Here's the back!

What the Michael Pineda Trade Will [Probably] Never Be...

  
Here you have the very basic back of those early Bowman releases.   But I still dig them!   The usual biographical numbers are followed by a great summary of Allie's early career and a mention of the great trade that brought Mr. Reynolds to New York - more on that below.   And don't forget to ask for Blony Bubble Gum, The Gum with THREE different flavors :)   Ha!   How sweet is that little ad?   Can you imagine the uproar if card companies loaded up the backs of our modern-day releases with ads?   Here's a quick glance at what this card looks like in a top-loader, just for some size perspective:

I love, love, love this card!   It's a vintage Yankee rookie card of a great player.   I can't swap it for a house....or a car....or even Madden '13, but it's a great piece of history to me and it's in great shape.   I hope I have the chance to find some other good deals on some other cards from this set.   Any time you can take home a card from one of those "First Page" sets (sets on the first page of the price guide)......I think you have something special.


Here's some more about Mr. Reynolds:

Allie Pierce Reynolds was one of the most dominant pitchers in the American League during his playing days.   He began his career with the Cleveland Indians, who were tipped off to his hurling prowess by the baseball coach at Oklahoma A&M - where Allie attended college and lettered in numerous sports until graduating.

Reynolds in Cleveland -note "War Bonds" Ad behind him!

He fought his way through the minor leagues during difficult financial times for the country and was on the verge of retiring from the game out of frustration until he was called up to Cleveland and established himself as an ace for the Indians while their usual #1, Bob Feller, was serving overseas in World War II.   It should be noted that Reynolds took the enlistment physical but was determined to be ineligible for service due to family medical history and some injuries he had suffered while playing sports in college.   Allie Reynolds led the AL in strikeouts in '43 and made a total of 100 starts for the Indians.   Of those times he took the mound as a starting pitcher, Reynolds tossed 41 complete games and had nine shutouts!  

By 1946, Feller had returned to the squad and the club's player/manager Lou Boudreau needed to fill a defensive hole at 2B for the Indians.   He had set his eyes on the Yankees' 2B, Joe Gordon and informed the Yankees' front office man, Lee MacPhail that New York could have any pitcher he wanted - with the exception of Mr. Feller, of course.   Lee sought some counsel from 'ol DiMaggio who advised Lee:

"Take Reynolds.   I'm a fastball hitter, but he can buzz his hard one by me any time he has a mind to."

 

Timing....is EVERYTHING!

The rest is history and Allie Reynolds became an ace for the Yankees on a staff that included Ed Lopat and Vic Raschi.   By 1949, Allie was the star of a team that won five consecutive league championships - the first squad to ever do so.   For his first 6 seasons as a Yankee, Mr. Reynolds averaged over 232 innings, 17.5 wins and 14 complete games!   He also became the second pitcher in major league history to hurl two no-hitters in one season, joining Johnny Vander Meer who had accomplished the feat in '38.   Notching two no-no's in one season is still the record though the two have been joined more recently by one of my all-time favorites - Virgil Trucks ('52) as well as Nolan Ryan ('73) and Roy Halladay ('10).   Not too shabby, huh?

Allie Reynolds hailed from Oklahoma (like another Yankee legend, don't you know?) and was a member of the Creek Indian Nation.   As was the standard in those days, any ball player of Native American heritage usually garnered the nickname "Chief" from his teammates at some point.   This was no different for Mr. Reynolds, who earned a version of that as "Superchief".   It is pretty widely known that Allie wasn't comfortable with his nickname, usually citing the honor and reverence that was reserved for the title of "Chief" within his Creek Indian culture.   The stories behind this label aren't crystal clear but teammate and eventual AL President, Bobby Brown once noted:

"But for some of you too young to remember, the Santa Fe Railroad at that time had a crack train (call the Superchief) that ran from California to Chicago, and it was known for its elegance, its power and its speed. We always felt the name applied to Allie for the same reasons."

That's quite a compliment.   In fact, I think the only other compliment that I might be MORE impressed by would be some kind words from 'ol Casey Stengel......wait, WHAT?   Stengel had words of praise for this guy?   Why yes, yes he did:

"Reynolds was two ways great, which is starting and relieving, which no one can do like him...He has guts and his courage is simply tremendous."

That's good stuff!   And so were Superchief's career accomplishments, although they never managed to earn him a spot in the Hall of Fame:

• Six Time All-Star (1945, 1949, 1952, 1953 and 1954)
• Six Time World Series Champion (1947, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953)
• Lifetime Stats: 182-107, 3.30 ERA and 1,423 K's

Maybe most impressive was Reynolds' performance under pressure in the post season.   He was 7-2 with a 2.79 ERA over 77 innings and was the "clinching" pitcher in the '50, '52 and '53 Series.   He made six relief appearances in the World Series and earned either a Win or a Save in every single one of them.   And just to drive the point home - he batted .308 in 26 World Series at-bats.   Yo!   Allie went on to become a very successful business man in the oil industry after retiring due to injuries suffered in a crash of the Yankees team bus during the '54 season.   He passed away in Oklahoma in 1994 at the age of 77.  

Allie "Super Chief" Reynolds was indeed a legendary pitcher for my favorite team back in the very first days of baseball's golden age.   His accomplishments are impressive as is the way in which he apparently lived his life.   I'm really glad....no, honored to have his rookie card as a part of my New York Yankee baseball card collection.

Thank for reading!